CHAPTER 19

This is crazy, Albert smiled, shaking his head in disbelief as he looked in the mirror from Brian and Bart’s house guest bedroom on Christmas morning. Those were the same words he told Julien about two and a half weeks earlier, when the blond young man suggested that he have his wedding with Lawrence on Christmas day.

To convince Albert to agree, Edward’s husband promised he’d have the coolest team of wedding planners, and he lived up to that promise. The guy, who seemed the opposite of a social butterfly, used his personal charm and managed to gather together Brei-Ayn, Bianca, Martha, Miss Pat, Anna, Elaine, from boss Ardan’s family, and a few other lovely ladies, and gave them specific tasks.

For instance, the teachers from the arts and crafts classes, together with Brei-Ayn, were in charge of decorating the Remembrance Hall, where the wedding reception was going to be held. As expected, Miss Pat, Anna, Steve, Billy Bob, and Stacy, who also volunteered, made sure there would be enough sweets and bread specialties for all the guests.

Winter, the guy who prepared the meals for the children and guards at The Base, helped by Elaine and some of the other ladies who volunteered, put together the menu and cooked the dishes. Leon, the official errand boy, helped by Wheeler, Xavier, and a few other bikers, took buying everything the cooks needed, from meats and cheese assortments to spices, and bringing the supplies to The Base upon themselves.

At some point in making the tasks list, Julien was met with what he called a serious problem: the music. Ten years earlier, when Thaddeus Bloom married Rhett, the love of his life, the current boss, Elias, his now-husband, Tarrin, their best friend, Ira, and Elaine were in a band that performed at the wedding, earning the enthusiastic praises of the guests. Unfortunately, all of them gave up a few years earlier, when they got actively involved in running The Base.

At first, Julien called some bands he listened to when he was invited to the weddings of a few of his co-workers, but none of them performed on Christmas day, not even if the payment was two or three times bigger than what they usually charged. The blond didn’t give up; he searched for other phone numbers and sites, but he got the same answer from everywhere.

Discouraged and not knowing what to do, Julien was close to abandoning the wedding project, like everyone jokingly called planning the happiest event from Albert and Lawrence’s life, when Bianca offered the providential solution no one thought about. She suggested asking some of the older kids at The Base sanctuary, who played different instruments, to help with that.

Everyone acclaimed her idea, and the teens were more than happy to help, especially when they found out that one of the grooms was none other than the kind guard who greeted so many of them at The Base’s gates, Lawrence, or Digger, as the other bikers called him. It wasn’t hard for them to form a band, choose some of the most beautiful love songs and make them sound even better after adding some personal touches.

With the hassles of planning his own wedding involved out of the way, Albert finally had time for something he wanted to do since the day Lawrence asked for his hand in marriage: buy his husband-to-be an engagement ring. Helped by Brei-Ayn and all five children from their future, combined family, he found the perfect one.

It was a thick gold band with a simple diamond embedded and beveled details starting a few millimeters away from the diamond, circling around to the same spot on the other side. The piece of jewelry was very simple and masculine, in keeping with the taste of the man it was meant for, who was speechless for a few seconds when he saw it.

Taking one more look in the big mirror, brought by the lovely hosts to the guest bedroom specially for that happy occasion, Albert felt, for the thousandth time in the last two and a half weeks, grateful for the people in his life. For instance, Brian and Bart, who, besides being the ones who brought him and Lawrence together, offered their home as the bridegroom’s party’s headquarter, because it was much bigger than his.

A wide grin stretched Albert’s mouth from ear to ear when he thought about how he was free to roam around The Base on his wedding day, while his husband-to-be was confined at the guards’ headquarters. His fellow Steel Raiders MC members, instigated by Julien, expressly forbade him to leave the location, so he won’t run into his fiancé, who patrolled between the two bakeries all morning long.

Albert found it cute and heartwarming that Julien and the other wedding planners wanted to respect the tradition of straight to-be-married couples that said the groom should not see the bride until she walked down the aisle, because it brings bad luck. Lawrence, on the other hand, threatened to retaliate, without offering details, to the great amusement of those who knew his big heart.

“Hey, daydreamer, what are you thinking about?” Brei-Ayn asked in a cheerful voice as she walked into the room. “Sorry, I knocked, but you must’ve not heard me,” she smiled apologetically to her brother-in-law, who flinched imperceptibly at her sight.

“You’re going to laugh,” Albert turned around to face the woman, “but I was doing a recap of these past two and a half weeks, and, gods, were they insane!” He flashed her a cute grin. “I also tried to picture my hot fiancé in that dark-blue suit of his, with a tie to match and a white shirt.”

“Oh-wow, you sure have a vivid imagination.” Brei-Ayn playfully slapped her brother-in-law on the arm, then straightened the lapels of his coat, smoothening a few almost invisible wrinkles with her palms. “You don’t look bad yourself. Scratch that, you look hot and sexy in this pink suit.”

“Do you really think so?” Albert’s face brightened from the radiant smile that reached his chocolate eyes. A few seconds later, they went dull. “At first, I thought wearing this pale shade of pink on my wedding day was a good idea, but now, I’m not so sure anymore.”

“Hey, stop second-guessing yourself,” Brei-Ayn gave the man a reassuring smile. “You look so handsome and…edible.” She crooked her fingers, mimicking a big feline attacking the unsuspecting prey. “Rawr!”

“When you said edible, all I could think of was a strawberry shortcake.” Albert huffed a laugh, then gave Brei-Ayn an appreciative look. “This electric green suit is made with you in mind, I swear! I bet you’ll drive Wheeler crazy in it.” He flashed a cute grin in her direction. “Is yours going to be next Christmas’s wedding?”

“Hey, beautiful, are you ready?” Bart peeked inside and let out a long whistle of admiration. “Albert, you look stunning! The sexiest baker alive, I swear!” The man took a deep breath, then continued, showing all his teeth in a grin. “We are not late, but my beloved husband is in the groom’s party, and I miss him dearly. Plus, Lawrence started to pace the corridor of the guards’ headquarters and threatens to retaliate if he is not reunited with his love.”

Albert laughed again, this time louder. “Let me guess, he didn’t offer details this time, either.” Bart nodded in confirmation, so the baker continued. “Anyway, it’s not wise to let a wild biker wait, so let’s go.”

When the groom-to-be and his sister-in-law, closely followed by Bart, walked out of the house, most of those forming Albert’s party were already in the cars parked on the driveway and outside. The members of Steel Raiders MC offered to drive the vehicles, and they were all there, clad in leather, waiting, with the attitude of a professional chauffeur.

Neither of the two men getting married belonged to an organized form of religion, although they both believed in the existence of a superior being that governed the universe. Because of this, they chose the temple at The Base as the location to celebrate their union. It was a building featuring a simple exterior and interior design, with no symbols that would associate it to one faith or another.

This way, the residents of the sanctuary and members of the staff had a place to come to when they needed to be alone with their thoughts and meditate, without feeling uncomfortable or offended. In spite of the design’s sobriety, the atmosphere was warm and welcoming, another reason why the two grooms chose the place.

The car Albert was in, the first of the row, stopped in front of the temple, and, as he climbed down from it, the man couldn’t contain his emotion at the sight of Lawrence, who was standing at the entrance, waiting for him, hand slightly extended, a tender smile on his lips. Smiling reassuringly, Brei-Ayn headed to the temple, to take her seat, while Albert started to advance to his fiancé.

All his nervousness vanished as he looked at the smiling face of the one he loved and was loved by. Lawrence’s facial expression was a mix of confidence, happiness, and pride as he reached out his hand. Albert took it without hesitation before the two walked slowly down the aisle. They had chosen to do it this way, instead of the tradition of the groom waiting at the altar and then the bride being walked down the aisle and given away by a parent or stand in parental figure.

First of all, they were both men, second of all, they were giving themselves to each other, or at least that was how Albert saw the things. Lawrence, on the other hand, felt that way of doing things signified the equality between him and his husband-to-be, something his fiancé also felt from the first moment the two of them got together.

Lawrence gave Albert’s hand a double squeeze as the two of them reached the celebrant, an open-minded minister who united quite a few gay couples, and their special group that was there to witness the happiest moment of their life. The baker glanced over and chuckled at the sly grin his fiancé was giving him.

Over the past few days, Lawrence had mentioned a few times how his mind was still reeling at the fact that the two of them were finally at that point. He wondered what he had done in a past life to be so lucky, and Albert kept reminding him it wasn’t in a past life, but over the course of the one he was living.

“Friends and family, whoever you are, wherever you’re from, whatever you believe, and whoever you love, welcome here. Make yourself comfortable, because I have a few words to say,” the celebrant started, eliciting a few chuckles from the guests. “Lawrence and Albert have invited you here today for a celebration of love, commitment, friendship, family, and of two people who are in it forever. We will bear witness as they formally pledge themselves to each other and promise to love, protect, and strengthen one another.” He looked at the biker. “I know you have a few words to say.”

“Albert, I love you, not only for who you are, but also for who I am in your company. I love you, not only for what you made of yourself, but also for what you make me. I’m grateful not only for you sharing yourself with me, but also for the gift of your children becoming mine, too, and for you loving mine, for our family. My world went from dark to light the day you came into my life and it exploded into a million fireworks when you said you’d be mine.”

“Now I know why I’m a baker and not a writer, you left me speechless,” Albert said as he looked at Lawrence, trying to regain his composure and remember what he’d planned to say. “And you’ve always been worthy; it’s me, Chad, and Monica who are lucky to have you. Your heart was never cold or hard, you encircled me with warmth and made me feel like I was someone worth saving.” The man paused as he felt himself choke up, and Lawrence reached over and squeezed his arm. Taking a deep breath and clearing his throat, he continued. “At one of the lowest points in my life, you gave me a sense of self-worth, you made me believe I could do anything I wanted. But above all, you gave me your heart.” He turned at the celebrant and nodded.

The minister looked between the two men. “Some might say you were brought together by the Fates, but today, you have come here by choice. You have chosen to make a life and family together, to be with someone who enhances you, who makes you smile, makes you think, and who brings out the best in you, who makes each day brighter than the one before it. You’re here today to vow to this person that you will be forevermore their partner, lover, best friend, co-parent, and husband.”

“I have the rings.” Ben whispered in a solemn voice, gesturing with his head to the small satin pillow he was holding.

“Thank you,” the celebrant said, giving the little boy a smile. “You’ve done a great job looking after them.” He then turned to the baker. “Albert, repeat the vows.”

Looking straight into his soon-to-be husband’s eyes, the man started in a voice thick with emotion. “I, Albert Finkel, promise to love and support you, to stand up for you and find happiness with you. I want to share with you every experience I’m going to have, I want to laugh and go on adventures with you. Through thick and thin, I will always stand by your side; I promise to listen to you, be honest with you, and hold you through the hard times. I want to grow old with you, and find new reasons to love you every day.” Eyes shining with happiness, he put the ring on the other man’s finger.

The minister gave the other ring to Lawrence. “Please, repeat the vows,” he instructed him.

The biker’s voice was a bit shaky when he started to talk. “I, Lawrence Barnes, promise to love and support you, to stand up for you and find happiness with you. I want to share with you every experience I’m going to have, I want to laugh and go on adventures with you. Through thick and thin, I will always stand by your side; I promise to listen to you, be honest with you, and hold you through the hard times. I want to grow old with you, and find new reasons to love you every day.” A radiant smile playing on his lips, he slipped the ring on his still-fiancé’s finger.

The celebrant nodded again, the sight before warming his heart. “Will you, Albert and Lawrence, be each other’s partners from this day forward? Will you bring out the best in one another, share your happiest moments together and love each other absolutely, for the rest of this lifetime and for whatever may come next?”

“We will,” the two men answered in sync.

“Now join your hands, and with your hands, your hearts.” That was a line from Shakespeare the minister loved to use at the weddings he was celebrating. “By the power invested in me, and in the presence of your friends, I now pronounce you husband and husband. You may kiss each other.”

Albert’s lips curled up into a wide grin at the celebrant’s pronouncement. Lawrence took a step forward, and his now-husband let him wrap his arms around him. Something about the biker’s warm embrace felt even more amazing than usual, and tingles rippled through the baker’s body as his lips met the ones of his beloved.

Albert grabbed Lawrence’s hips with his hands and leaned up into the kiss. He could feel how much his husband loved him from that one kiss, in which he poured everything he had. The baker tried his best to let his beloved know how he felt, and, judging by the love shining in his soulmate’s eyes, he managed to.

The two men looked at each other. Mister and Mister Barnes-Finkel. The best Christmas present each of them ever got was standing there, in front of each other’s eyes. Breaking the kiss, they turned around, facing their friend, who were cheering them on. Love always wins, was the thought that crossed the newlyweds’ mind. Merry Christmas, everyone!